Keto

Tagatose finds a home in lean labeling

28-Sep-2023 By Deniz Ataman

Despite FDA’s labeling of tagatose as an added sugar, the alternative sweetener’s nutritional and functional benefits continue to generate interest from the food and beverage industry, particularly with lean labels, Jim Kappas, VP specialty ingredients,...

Reinventing Oreos… with no added sugar: Sundays enters low-carb sandwich cookie space

29-Nov-2022 By Elaine Watson

British Columbia-based startup Sundays is on a mission to reinvent iconic chocolate sandwich cookie brand Oreos with a zero sugar positioning.

SlimFast unveils new packaging, ads, intermittent fasting line, to ‘position the brand for a return to growth in 2023’

05-Oct-2022 By Elaine Watson

As the brand name suggests, none too subtly, SlimFast is a brand you tend to think of when you want to lose weight, fast. But in a food culture where ‘wellness’ is in, ‘dieting’ is out, and even the word ‘slimming’ can make you sound like an ‘80s throwback,...

5 trends from Summer Fancy Food: From veggie-enhanced non-dairy cheese to convenient baking solutions to keto-friendly snacks and booze-fueled treats

08-Jul-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Invigorating sleepy segments, tackling persistent category challenges and balancing consumer desire for taste, convenience and experience, companies at the 66th Summer Fancy Food Show in New York City late last month showcased innovative solutions to...

Summer Fancy Food Show

Packaging innovations help wake up sleepy categories by adding fun, convenience

28-Jun-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

By leveraging packaging innovations that increase fun and flavor while decreasing mess and monotony, startups at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York this month are waking up sleepy categories, expanding their segments’ traditional user bases and standing...

Keto in focus, part six: ‘The second coming’ of keto – low-sugar, high-protein launches bet big on the diet

28-Apr-2022 By Elizabeth Crawford

Undeterred by a drop in Internet searches in North America for ‘keto’ and ‘ketogenic’ that might suggest declining interest in the high-fat, moderate-protein and ultra-low-carb diet, many packaged food manufacturers appear to be doubling down on the claim...

Keto in focus, part four: ‘It's the latest incarnation of low carb…’

20-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

In part four of our series on the high-fat, moderate protein, ultra-low-carb keto diet, FoodNavigator-USA checked in with experts at consumer insights specialist Hartman Group, and product innovation company Mattson to get their take on whether it is...

Keto in focus, part two: The evolution of keto… ‘We’re seeing people eating more of a higher protein ketogenic diet’

19-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

In part two of our new series on the high-fat, moderate protein, ultra-low-carb keto diet, FoodNavigator-USA caught up with Dr Ryan Lowery, CEO at Ketogenic.com, which also owns the ketogenic certified scheme used by brands including Quest Nutrition and...

Keto in focus part three: Catalina Snacks CEO... 'The majority of our audience just want to eat less sugar and fewer carbs'

19-Apr-2022 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Fast-growing keto snacks company Catalina Snacks is proving that 'keto' is no longer reserved for the low-carb, moderate protein diet's devotees but has a broader consumer scope and appeal.

Keto in focus, part 1: From hardcore keto dieters to the ‘carb-conscious’

18-Apr-2022 By Elaine Watson

The high-fat, moderate protein, ultra-low carb ketogenic diet has its devotees and detractors. But what kind of impact is it having on the CPG industry, how big is the addressable market for keto or keto-friendly products, and is this a fad or a lasting...

Keto-friendly Nick’s Ice Cream raises $100m, expands further into snacking segment

28-Oct-2021 By Elaine Watson

Swedish keto-friendly brand Nick’s – which entered the US in late 2019 with low carb light ice cream pints and has since expanded into ice cream sandwiches and keto snack bars – has raised $100m in a Series C round led by Kinnevik, Ambrosia Investments...

Soup-To-Nuts Podcast: Demand for low-carb options rises as more consumers emerge from lockdowns

26-Jul-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sourdough bread and stretchy pants may have been all the rage during the early days of the pandemic, but as vaccines become more prevalent and US consumers begin to reemerge from lockdowns, they increasing are turning to keto-bread and other low-carb...

NEW PRODUCTS GALLERY: PeaTos takes on Doritos, RXBAR launches plant-based line, Clif enters cereals aisle

13-Jul-2021 By Elaine Watson

In FoodNavigator-USA's latest roundup of new product launches, we include Clif Bar's first foray into boxed cereals, PeaTos' fiber- and protein-fueled take on Doritos, RXBARS's new plant-based bars, and a wave of products focusing...

NuSkool Snacks finds growth in recovering snack and nutrition bar category: 'Our retail numbers are off the charts'

12-Jul-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Despite overall declines of the snack and nutrition bar category over the past year, NuSkool Snacks (formerly MCTco) saw demand for its brand – and other low-sugar bar products like it increase – reports founder and CEO Joe Christensen.

IRI 2020 New Product Pacesetters: Who made the list?

14-Jun-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

From emerging keto ice cream brand, Rebel, and Beyond Meat's plant-based sausage, to big food's permissibly indulgent takes on legacy brands (Reese's Thins and Zero Sugar Mountain Dew), one theme rang true in IRI's 2020 New Product...

BMJ study: Plant-based, pescatarian diets “may be considered for protection against severe COVID-19”

08-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Following a nutrient-dense plant-based or pescatarian diet could protect against severe COVID-19, according to researchers who found healthcare workers at high risk of exposure to the coronavirus were less likely to experience severe infections if they...

Virtual Natural Products Expo West

Functional beverage sales rise, but not all ingredients, benefits gain equally as consumer interest shifts

03-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

Sales of functional beverages are bouncing back after slowing early in the pandemic when fewer people bought on-the-go products, reflecting increased consumer mobility, rising interest in food as medicine and innovation that resonates with health-focused...

Virtual Natural Products Expo West

Consumers weigh vegan & specialty diet attributes differently based on category, SPINS data shows

01-Jun-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

With nearly one in five Americans now following some type of specialty diet, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the extent to which products appeal to different food tribes can heavily influence sales – but not all diets are...

Investing in the Future of Food

Catalina Crunch: D2C brings brands of all sizes closer to consumers, more effectively guides innovation

12-May-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

The unprecedented shift to ecommerce during the pandemic and predictions that many consumers will continue to buy groceries online even after it is safe to return to retail stores has elevated the importance of an omnichannel strategy – but according...

Better Brand’s “Grain-changing Technology” takes the guilt, not the pleasure, out of refined carbs

21-Apr-2021 By Elizabeth Crawford

For many consumers a freshly toasted bagel is a source of joy, comfort – and guilt, but thanks to food-tech startup Better Brand Inc.’s proprietary Grain-changing Technology, Americans can soon enjoy a clean label option that tastes and functions like...

PepsiCo launches Keto-friendly almond flour tortilla chips to counteract ‘noshtalgia’

19-Mar-2021 By Gill Hyslop

Hilo Life is extending its Keto-friendly offering with tortilla chips made from defatted almond flour.

NEW PRODUCTS GALLERY: Keto, plant-based, immunity trends inspire new launches

21-Feb-2021 By Elaine Watson

Plant-based launches dominate our latest products gallery, while keto, immunity, and prebiotic claims also abound.

Quevos egg white chips attracts Shark Tank investment from KIND Snacks founder

25-Jan-2021 By Mary Ellen Shoup

After appearing on ABC's Shark Tank last week, Quevos – an emerging brand making egg white-based chips – received an investment from Equilibra Partners Management, the family office of KIND Snacks founder, Daniel Lubetzky, to fuel its next phase...

From 'mushroom mania' to 'ketotarian' foods: Kroger unveils top 7 food predictions for 2021

17-Dec-2020 By Elaine Watson

From ‘futureproof’ foods claiming to support immune health or manage stress, to the ‘ketotarian’ diet: a plant-based spin on keto, Kroger has released seven food trends it believes will gain traction in 2021, which it predicts will be a "breakout...

General Mills ventures into keto with :ratio

21-Sep-2020 By Jim Cornall

General Mills is launching :ratio – a new keto-friendly product line that marks the food company’s first keto-focused product.

Keto-friendly Catalina Snacks hires Joel Warady as president, plans new product launch in 2021

11-Aug-2020 By Elaine Watson

Keto-friendly cereals and snacks startup Catalina Snacks has hired industry veteran Joel Warady as president as it ramps up its omnichannel business and gears up to launch a new product line in 2021.

SHIFT20: ‘Keto really did just explode last year…’

30-Jul-2020 By Elaine Watson

Maintaining a metabolic state of ketosis requires a level of discipline that’s pretty hard to sustain; however, the high fat, moderate protein and ultra-low carb keto diet is nevertheless exerting a growing influence on new product development across...

MCTco protein keto bars enter beauty from within and immunity categories

13-Jul-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

MCTco is competing in the highly-competitive snack bar category, addressing major consumer demands around protein and sugar content as well as emerging ‘beauty-from-within’ and immunity trends with its line of products containing collagen protein and...

Review suggests keto diets don’t boost endurance athletes’ performance

08-Jul-2020 By Hank Schultz

A review published in a sports science journal has found little support for the notion that ketogenic diets can improve performance for endurance athletes.

WATCH: NEW PRODUCTS GALLERY... From AvoCrazy avocado puffs to Talking Rain Essentials

18-May-2020 By Elaine Watson

Check out FoodNavigator-USA’s latest gallery of new products, from avocado puffs and keto sandwich cookies, to sparkling beverages infused with vitamins and minerals from Talking Rain.

'It was a Monday that America stopped and on Friday we had money in the bank...' Fat Snax closes $4.5m series A funding round

24-Apr-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

As the pandemic unfolds, many investors are hitting pause on cash injections into early-stage brands. But for VC funds BFG Partners and BIGR Ventures, the crisis has made investment decisions more clear in terms of what separates an 'OK' brand...

Magic Spoon celebrates its first anniversary: ‘We’ve exceeded our wildest expectations’

23-Apr-2020 By Elaine Watson

Unlike many emerging brands, which have had to ramp up - on in some cases create from scratch - e-commerce capabilities during this pandemic, Magic Spoon has been a direct-to-consumer business from the outset, and sales are going through the roof, say...

HighKey expands its 'low carb, sugar sucks' comfort food brand with new cereal lineup

30-Mar-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Emerging brand HighKey is betting on the next wave of growth coming to the cereal category, which co-CEO Joe Ens says will be the expansion of low-carb, sugar-free, high-protein products.

Keto diet best in small doses, suggests mouse study

17-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Touted as an effective weight loss regimen, the keto diet has gone from niche to mainstream, with CPG products clamoring to align themselves with the trend. But are its immediate results outweighed by longer-term negative effects?

GOODTO GO enters US retail market filling the dessert, snack time keto void

14-Feb-2020 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Based in Canada, GOODTO GO keto-friendly bars recently launched in the US in Sprouts stores nationwide, with other national retail partnerships to follow, tapping into the keto consumer craze taking off in the wider snacking category.

Catalina Crunch launches first keto-friendly, shelf-stable smoothies made with freeze-dried whole fruits and veggies

03-Jan-2020 By Elaine Watson

New York based startup Catalina Crunch – best-known for its ultra-low-carb cereal - is moving into new territory with what it claims is the first keto-friendly, shelf-stable smoothie product made with [freeze-dried] whole fruits and vegetables – not powder....

Coalition pushes for ‘low-carb’ diet to be added to 2020 Dietary Guidelines

20-Dec-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

A coalition of doctors, academics, and American consumers called the Low-Carb Action Network (LCAN) is urging US nutrition leaders to include a low-carb diet as part of the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA).

News in brief

What’s trending in nutrition? Keto, intermittent fasting, and clean eating, say dietitians

26-Nov-2019 By Elaine Watson

The high fat, moderate protein and ultra-low carb keto diet is likely to remain the top diet trend of 2020, followed by intermittent fasting and clean eating, according to a poll of 1,259 registered dietitians conducted by marketing and PR agency Pollock...

Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: 6 trends spotted at Expo East from cauliflower & hemp to ‘going digital’

27-Sep-2019 By Elizabeth Crawford

Hemp and CBD continued to reign as one of the top food and beverage trends at Natural Products Expo East in Baltimore last week, just as they did at the event’s counterpart Expo West last March – but also just like at West they were far from the only...

Keto-friendly cereal Magic Spoon raises $5.5m in seed funding

12-Sep-2019 By Elaine Watson

Direct to consumer cereal brand Magic Spoon has raised $5.5m in a seed funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners as it seeks to take its keto-friendly wares to a wider audience.

Keto-friendly cereal Catalina Crunch generating almost a million in direct to consumer revenues a month, a year after launch

19-Aug-2019 By Elaine Watson

If super low carb, zero-sugar, keto-friendly cereal sounds like a super niche opportunity, think again, says Catalina Crunch founder and CEO Krishna Kaliannan, who is already generating “close to a million in monthly sales” via his website just a year...

Keto-friendly Dang Bar beats expectations: ‘The early results are astounding’

12-Jun-2019 By Elaine Watson

The keto-friendly Dang bar – the latest innovation from snack brand Dang Foods – has been a hit right out of the starting blocks, claims founder and CEO Vincent Kitirattragarn. “This is seriously bringing new life into our brand and the early results...

Keto products should embrace functional benefits and personalization options, says Mintel

25-Apr-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

'Keto' products -- from coffee creamers and ice cream to cheddar crisps and on-the-go nut butters -- are no longer a niche find for consumers, but is it wise to market a product solely around the keto diet, even it ticks all the right macronutrient...

NEWS IN BRIEF

Bulletproof Coffee continues hiring spree, appointing new CFO and VP of ecommerce to support rapid growth

19-Mar-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Bulletproof360, Inc. (maker of Bulletproof Coffee) has named Cameron Kinloch (former CFO at Ripple Foods) as CFO, and Brian Watkins as the company's VP of ecommerce, reporting to Bulletproof president and COO, Anna Collins.

Kettle & Fire launches new soup line through Kickstarter to take the mealtime hassle out of going keto

12-Feb-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Keto may be one of the hottest diets right now, but it's far from the most convenient when it comes to meal planning, said Nick Mares, co-founder of Kettle & Fire.

Ancient Nutrition's new CEO has sights set on entering new product categories and international markets

25-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Greg Shearson has taken the helm as CEO of Ancient Nutrition, a move which will take the company to the "next level" including expanding into new product categories and international markets.

Ample redefines what a meal replacement can be, gears up for equity crowdfunding campaign

23-Jan-2019 By Mary Ellen Shoup

Healthy meal shake company Ample has grown into a multi-million dollar business through the direct-to-consumer channel selling its pre-portioned powders packed with high quality proteins, premium fats, fiber, and probiotics, sealed in single-serve bottles...